


The One Where Joey and Chandler Get Together

by 7thweasley



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Confessions, First Kiss, M/M, Season 1, Sharing a Bed, TOW The Boobies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 04:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13826808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7thweasley/pseuds/7thweasley
Summary: When Joey's father comes to stay, and reveals his affair with Ronni, Joey and Chandler end up sharing the sofa bed.Set within TOW The Boobies (season 1, episode 13).





	The One Where Joey and Chandler Get Together

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing in a while, and my first time writing these two ever, so please excuse me if this is god awful.

Chandler Bing had a problem - a problem named Joey Tribbiani. It wasn’t that he couldn’t stand his roommate, no it was quite the opposite. From the moment Chandler first saw him in that ridiculously tight white t-shirt, he knew he was in for it. Fate was playing a cruel joke on Chandler by giving him an incredibly attractive, charismatic, Italian roommate.

He had been doing a pretty stand up job of hiding this little secret from Joey thus far, if he said so himself. Of course, Chandler had never been known for being subtle or smooth in any sense of the word, so who really knows. What Chandler did know, however, was that fate wasn’t done toying with him - and this might be the cherry on top.

\--

After lamenting to their friend group about the scandal that Joey had uncovered about his dad, Chandler and Joey left Rachel and Monica’s apartment. Slumped against the door to their own apartment was a very eclectic looking blonde woman. 

“Oh, look,” said Chandler, “it’s the woman we ordered.”

Joey gave him a weird glance before addressing the strange lady. “Hey, can, uh, can we help you?”

The woman looked up from the magazine she was previously engrossed in. “Oh, no thanks. I’m just waiting for, uh, Joey Tribbiani.”

“I’m Joey Tribbiani.”

The woman laughed. “Oh no, not you, big Joey,” she said as she took a step towards a rather apprehensive Joey, “Oh my God, you're so much cuter than your pictures! I-I'm, I'm Ronni....Cheese Nip?”

Joey was frozen in place, refusing to acknowledge Ronni. Chandler, desperate to diffuse the awkward conversation, answered for him, “Uh, Joey's having an embolism, but I'd go for a Nip, y'know? Come on in, uh, Joey’s dad should be back soon.”

\--

Not long after Ronni had made herself comfortable did Mr Tribbiani stumble into their apartment. Joey’s expression got darker, if possible, and Chandler became increasingly anxious for him.

Ronni had dropped by to give Mr Trib his “best hair” for his meeting, she explained as she pulled out what looked like a dead animal and gave it to him. She insisted on heading home, but Mr Tribbiani wouldn’t stand for that, so he suggested that they go to a hotel.  
“No, you won’t,” Joey ordered, blocking the door, “If you go to a hotel, you’ll be… doing stuff. I want you right here where I can keep an eye on you!”

This just made matters more complicated, in Chandler’s opinion, but Joey seemed so steadfast in his decision that Chandler couldn’t bring himself to argue with him.

“You're gonna keep an eye on us?” Mr Tribbiani balked.

“That's right, mister, and I don't care how old you are, as long as you're under my roof you're gonna live by my rules. And that means no sleeping with your girlfriend,” Joey said, taking on the role of strict parent. “Now dad, you'll be in my room, Ronni- uh, you can stay in Chandler's room.”

From across the room, Joey made eye contact with Chandler as if to silently ask him to be okay with this. What Joey didn’t know was that he could probably ask Chandler to do just about anything and he would be okay with it.

“Come, on, I’ll show you to my room…”

\--

Chandler had not thought this through. For some reason, when Joey had offered both of their rooms to his dad and Ronni, Chandler didn’t realize that would mean some rearranging of sleeping places would be required… which is why he and Joey were now sharing the small fold-out sofa bed. Funnily enough, whenever Chandler had pictured sharing a bed with his roommate, Mr Tribbiani and Ronni were never in the other rooms.

Joey kept squirming, which made it difficult for Chandler to avoid touching him. “Hey, Kicky, what’re you doing?”

“Just trying to get comfortable,” Joey grunted and continued to kick. “I can’t sleep in my underwear.”

Chandler started to panic a little internally. Sharing a bed with Joey was tantalizing enough. Sharing a bed with a naked Joey? Torturous. “Well, you’re gonna,” he shot back quickly.

“I've been thinking. Y'know, about how I'm always seeing girls on top of girls…”

Chandler’s heart sunk, so he tried to mask it with some witty line. “Are they end to end, or tall like pancakes?”

Joey shoved him lightly and sighed. “Y'know what I mean, about how I'm always going out with all these women. And I always figured, when the right one comes along, I'd be able to be a stand-up guy and go the distance, y'know? Now I'm looking at my dad, thinking…”

If Chandler had a dollar for everytime that he had to clench his teeth and talk to Joey about all of the girls he sleeps with, he would be rich. But this time was different. Joey was ernest and Chandler couldn’t find it in him to make a joke. Even if Joey didn’t return his feelings, he wasn’t going to be an ass about this.

“Hey, you're not him,” he said reassuringly, “You're you. When they were all over you to go into your father's pipe-fitting business, did you cave?”

“No, I guess not.”

“No. You decided to go into the out-of-work actor business. Now that wasn't easy, but you did it! And I'd like to believe that when the right woman comes along, you will have the courage and the guts to ‘go the distance’, like you said.”

Chandler instinctually touched Joey’s shoulder comfortingly. To his surprise, Joey didn’t shrug it off.

“You really think so?” Joey asked, looking him directly in the eyes.

“Yeah, I really do.” He hated to see Joey like this. He really was a good guy, even if commitment wasn’t his strong suit.

Joey broke eye contact, and instead focused on some loose thread from the sheets. “What if… what if I’m not worried about the right woman,” he said so quietly Chandler barely heard him.

“What do you mean, Joe? What are you worried about then?” Chandler’s voice tripped over the words. He couldn’t let himself think that this was going the way that he hoped.

“What if, what if the right person could be a ‘he’?” The thread that Joey was pulling had become so long now Chandler thought he might undo the entire blanket.

“Well, then, uh, whoever he is would be lucky,” Chandler choked out. He couldn’t even imagine how agonizing it would be to watch Joey fall in love with some guy that wasn’t him. It was better to believe that Joey was straight and unobtainable rather than just not into him at all.

“You’re not getting it, are you?” Joey asked exasperatedly.

“What do you me-” Chandler’s bewilderment was cut off. Cut off by none other than Joey Tribbiani kissing him.  
Chandler froze for a moment, not registering what was happening. This had to be some sick joke from his imagination. Joey took this as a sign of rejection, and pulled back.

“I’m sor- I thought- I’ll just go-” Joey stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

Chandler miraculously regained his ability to move, and proceeded to grab the front of Joey’s t-shirt. “Don’t you dare leave,” he said, practically growling.

This time, Chandler kissed him back, open-mouthed and needy. Joey was now practically on top of him, and he could feel his erection pressing against his hip. He was just about to reach down when the two of them were startled apart by an incredibly loud snore from where Mr Tribbiani was in Joey’s room. Joey laughed softly, hands still on Chandler’s chest.

“I forgot they were there,” Chandler said, smiling.

“Me too,” Joey replied, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t really want to do this with my dad in the other room. I mean- I do want to- believe me- it’s just- my dad-”

Chandler put his thumb to Joey’s lips to hush him. “We could get a hotel,” he suggested.

Joey looked very excited about that suggestion. “Let’s go to a hotel!”


End file.
